Silicone emulsions have been used in a variety of applications in the areas of personal care (e.g., hair, skin or nail care), household care, automotive care, and coatings. When used, the stability of the emulsion is generally important in order to provide a highly functional and esthetically pleasing product. However, formulations in these areas tends to be complex, requiring a number of ingredients for different purposes, with potential for incompatibilities. For example, silicone emulsions tend to be unstable in compositions containing lower alcohols, resulting in phase separation of the composition. Other incompatibilities in the system, e.g., polymer-polymer or polymer-surfactant interactions, can also result in phase separation.
For example, silicone emulsions have been used in hair styling compositions, e.g., hairsprays, mousses, gels, lotions and the like. Such compositions provide temporary setting benefits and can usually be removed by water or by shampooing. The materials used in these types of hair styling compositions are generally resins, gums, and adhesive polymers which are capable of imparting style or shape to the hair. Many of these products also contain lower alcohols in order to obtain good films of the polymer in a short period of time.
Many people desire a high level of style retention, or hold, from a styling product. Unfortunately, most current hair styling products having good hold characteristics suffer from the disadvantages of being either too stiff, not smooth or too sticky upon drying. Stiff compositions tend to be brittle and break down under common stresses such as wind, brushing, combing. Stiff compositions also tend to feel and look unnatural. Sticky compositions overcome many of the foregoing disadvantages of stiff compositions, because sticky compositions tend to be more forgiving, i.e., flexible, under stress and allow for restyling of the hair. However, sticky compositions have the disadvantage of leaving the hair with a heavy, coated feel and with a limp and unattractive appearance. Also, sticky compositions cause the hair to quickly become soiled from common contaminant sources such as dust, dirt, lint, sebum, etc.
When incorporated into a hair styling composition, silicones tend to provide a desirably smooth or soft hair feel. Unfortunately, silicone emulsions tend to be difficult to formulate in hair styling compositions, which typically contain lower alcohols. As discussed above, such compositions tend to phase separate. This phase separation is not only undesirable for visual esthetic reasons, but for performance reasons as well. When the product phase separates, hold and/or hair feel properties of the product tend to be negatively impacted.
Therefore, a need exists for hair styling compositions providing good style retention without the disadvantages of stiff or sticky compositions. There is a particular need for hair styling compositions containing lower alcohols providing good style retention without the disadvantages of stiff or sticky compositions.
A variety of personal care products for treatment of skin and nails are also known. Many of these products contain alcohols, generally to provide a volatility to the product for a desired astringency, application or other reason. These products may also contain a silicone for imparting a desirable skin feel. Examples of such products include deodorants, antiperspirants, after-shave lotions, nail polish, nail polish remover, and wet wipes. Such products containing lower alcohols and silicone emulsions also tend to suffer from phase separation, which negatively impacts visual esthetics and/or performance of the product. Therefore, a need exists for topical compositions for treating the skin or nails, containing lower alcohols and silicone emulsions, which are also stable.
It has been discovered that specific silicone polyethers are particularly useful to stabilize silicone emulsions, silicone microemulsions or a composition containing such emulsions in the presence of lower alcohols, e.g., C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 monohydric alcohols, which may be included in the composition. Stability is provided even where the composition contains relatively high levels of lower alcohol. While stability with respect to C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 monohydric alcohols, and especially ethanol, propanol and isopropanol, is of greatest interest because of their widespread use in commercial applications, superior stability is also provided to compositions containing other lower alcohols, e.g., C.sub.4 alcohols. Such stability is useful in a variety of applications, including applications in the areas of personal care, household care, automotive care and coatings.
An object of the invention is to provide stable compositions containing certain silicone polyethers and a suitable carrier, especially carriers containing lower alcohols. It is yet another object of the invention to provide such compositions which also contain a silicone emulsion.
It is another object of the invention to provide such compositions which are suitable for applications in the personal care area, including hair care, skin care and nail care applications.
It is another object of the invention to provide such polymers and compositions which are suitable for hair styling, e.g., hair sprays, mousses, gels, lotions and the like.
It is another object of this invention to provide hair styling compositions that provide good style retention without unacceptable stiffness or stickiness. Another object of this invention is to provide hair styling compositions that both look and feel natural.
It is another object of this invention to provide methods for styling and holding hair.
These and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.